sartor resartus-第1节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！




Sartor　Resartus

by　Thomas　Carlyle




SARTOR　RESARTUS：　　The　Life　and　Opinions　of　Herr　Teufelsdrockh　By　Thomas　Carlyle。　＇1831＇




BOOK　I。

CHAPTER　I。　PRELIMINARY。

Considering　our　present　advanced　state　of　culture；　and　how　the　Torch　of　Science　has　now　been　brandished　and　borne　about；　with　more　or　less　effect；　for　five　thousand　years　and　upwards；　how；　in　these　times　especially；　not　only　the　Torch　still　burns；　and　perhaps　more　fiercely　than　ever；　but　innumerable　Rushlights；　and　Sulphur…matches；　kindled　thereat；　are　also　glancing　in　every　direction；　so　that　not　the　smallest　cranny　or　dog…hole　in　Nature　or　Art　can　remain　unilluminated；it　might　strike　the　reflective　mind　with　some　surprise　that　hitherto　little　or　nothing　of　a　fundamental　character；　whether　in　the　way　of　Philosophy　or　History；　has　been　written　on　the　subject　of　Clothes。

Our　Theory　of　Gravitation　is　as　good　as　perfect：　　Lagrange；　it　is　well　known；　has　proved　that　the　Planetary　System；　on　this　scheme；　will　endure　forever；　Laplace；　still　more　cunningly；　even　guesses　that　it　could　not　have　been　made　on　any　other　scheme。　　Whereby；　at　least；　our　nautical　Logbooks　can　be　better　kept；　and　water…transport　of　all　kinds　has　grown　more　commodious。　　Of　Geology　and　Geognosy　we　know　enough：　　what　with　the　labors　of　our　Werners　and　Huttons；　what　with　the　ardent　genius　of　their　disciples；　it　has　come　about　that　now；　to　many　a　Royal　Society；　the　Creation　of　a　World　is　little　more　mysterious　than　the　cooking　of　a　dumpling；　concerning　which　last；　indeed；　there　have　been　minds　to　whom　the　question；　_How　the　apples　were　got　in_；　presented　difficulties。　　Why　mention　our　disquisitions　on　the　Social　Contract；　on　the　Standard　of　Taste；　on　the　Migrations　of　the　Herring？　　Then；　have　we　not　a　Doctrine　of　Rent；　a　Theory　of　Value；　Philosophies　of　Language；　of　History；　of　Pottery；　of　Apparitions；　of　Intoxicating　Liquors？　　Man's　whole　life　and　environment　have　been　laid　open　and　elucidated；　scarcely　a　fragment　or　fibre　of　his　Soul；　Body；　and　Possessions；　but　has　been　probed；　dissected；　distilled；　desiccated；　and　scientifically　decomposed：　　our　spiritual　Faculties；　of　which　it　appears　there　are　not　a　few；　have　their　Stewarts；　Cousins；　Royer　Collards：　　every　cellular；　vascular；　muscular　Tissue　glories　in　its　Lawrences；　Majendies；　Bichats。

How；　then；　comes　it；　may　the　reflective　mind　repeat；　that　the　grand　Tissue　of　all　Tissues；　the　only　real　Tissue；　should　have　been　quite　overlooked　by　Science；the　vestural　Tissue；　namely；　of　woollen　or　other　cloth；　which　Man's　Soul　wears　as　its　outmost　wrappage　and　overall；　wherein　his　whole　other　Tissues　are　included　and　screened；　his　whole　Faculties　work；　his　whole　Self　lives；　moves；　and　has　its　being？　　For　if；　now　and　then；　some　straggling　broken…winged　thinker　has　cast　an　owl's　glance　into　this　obscure　region；　the　most　have　soared　over　it　altogether　heedless；　regarding　Clothes　as　a　property；　not　an　accident；　as　quite　natural　and　spontaneous；　like　the　leaves　of　trees；　like　the　plumage　of　birds。　　In　all　speculations　they　have　tacitly　figured　man　as　_a　Clothed　Animal_；　whereas　he　is　by　nature　a　_Naked　Animal_；　and　only　in　certain　circumstances；　by　purpose　and　device；　masks　himself　in　Clothes。　　Shakespeare　says；　we　are　creatures　that　look　before　and　after：　　the　more　surprising　that　we　do　not　look　round　a　little；　and　see　what　is　passing　under　our　very　eyes。

But　here；　as　in　so　many　other　cases；　Germany；　learned；　indefatigable；　deep…thinking　Germany　comes　to　our　aid。　　It　is；　after　all；　a　blessing　that；　in　these　revolutionary　times；　there　should　be　one　country　where　abstract　Thought　can　still　take　shelter；　that　while　the　din　and　frenzy　of　Catholic　Emancipations；　and　Rotten　Boroughs；　and　Revolts　of　Paris；　deafen　every　French　and　every　English　ear；　the　German　can　stand　peaceful　on　his　scientific　watch…tower；　and；　to　the　raging；　struggling　multitude　here　and　elsewhere；　solemnly；　from　hour　to　hour；　with　preparatory　blast　of　cow…horn；　emit　his　_Horet　ihr　Herren　und　lasset's　Euch　sagen_；　in　other　words；　tell　the　Universe；　which　so　often　forgets　that　fact；　what　o'clock　it　really　is。　Not　unfrequently　the　Germans　have　been　blamed　for　an　unprofitable　diligence；　as　if　they　struck　into　devious　courses；　where　nothing　was　to　be　had　but　the　toil　of　a　rough　journey；　as　if；　forsaking　the　gold…mines　of　finance　and　that　political　slaughter　of　fat　oxen　whereby　a　man　himself　grows　fat；　they　were　apt　to　run　goose…hunting　into　regions　of　bilberries　and　crowberries；　and　be　swallowed　up　at　last　in　remote　peat…bogs。　　Of　that　unwise　science；　which；　as　our　Humorist　expresses　it；

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　〃By　geometric　scale　　　　　　Doth　take　the　size　of　pots　of　ale；〃

still　more；　of　that　altogether　misdirected　industry；　which　is　seen　vigorously　thrashing　mere　straw；　there　can　nothing　defensive　be　said。　　In　so　far　as　the　Germans　are　chargeable　with　such；　let　them　take　the　consequence。　　Nevertheless　be　it　remarked；　that　even　a　Russian　steppe　has　tumult　and　gold　ornaments；　also　many　a　scene　that　looks　desert　and　rock…bound　from　the　distance；　will　unfold　itself；　when　visited；　into　rare　valleys。　　Nay；　in　any　case；　would　Criticism　erect　not　only　finger…posts　and　turnpikes；　but　spiked　gates　and　impassable　barriers；　for　the　mind　of　man？　It　is　written；　〃Many　shall　run　to　and　fro；　and　knowledge　shall　be　increased。〃　　Surely　the　plain　rule　is；　Let　each　considerate　person　have　his　way；　and　see　what　it　will　lead　to。　　For　not　this　man　and　that　man；　but　all　men　make　up　mankind；　and　their　united　tasks　the　task　of　mankind。　　How　often　have　we　seen　some　such　adventurous；　and　perhaps　much…censured　wanderer　light　on　some　out…lying；　neglected；　yet　vitally　momentous　province；　the　hidden　treasures　of　which　he　first　discovered；　and　kept　proclaiming　till　the　general　eye　and　effort　were　directed　thither；　and　the　conquest　was　completed；thereby；　in　these　his　seemingly　so　aimless　rambles；　planting　new　standards；　founding　new　habitable　colonies；　in　the　immeasurable　circumambient　realm　of　Nothingness　and　Night！　　Wise　man　was　he　who　counselled　that　Speculation　should　have　free　course；　and　look　fearlessly　towards　all　the　thirty…two　points　of　the　compass；　whithersoever　and　howsoever　it　listed。


Perhaps　it　is　proof　of　the　stunted　condition　in　which　pure　Science；　especially　pure　moral　Science；　languishes　among　us　English；　and　how　our　mercantile　greatness；　and　invaluable　Constitution；　impressing　a　political　or　other　immediately　practical　tendency　on　all　English　culture　and　endeavor；　cramps　the　free　flight　of　Thought；that　this；　not　Philosophy　of　Clothes；　but　recognition　even　that　we　have　no　such　Philosophy；　stands　here　for　the　first　time　published　in　our　language。　　What　English　intellect　could　have　chosen　such　a　topic；　or　by　chance　stumbled　on　it？　　But　for　that　same　unshackled；　and　even　sequestered　condition　of　the　German　Learned；　which　permits　and　induces　them　to　fish　in　all　manner　of　waters；　with　all　manner　of　nets；　it　seems　probable　enough；　this　abtruse　Inquiry　might；　in　spite　of　the　results　it　leads　to；　have　continued　dormant　for　indefinite　periods。　The　Editor　of　these　sheets；　though　otherwise　boasting　himself　a　man　of　confirmed　speculative　habits；　and　perhaps　discursive　enough；　is　free　to　confess；　that　never；　till　these　last　months；　did　the　above　very　plain　considerations；　on　our　total　want　of　a　Philosophy　of　Clothes；　occur　to　him；　and　then；　by　quite　foreign　suggestion。　　By　the　arrival；　namely；　of　a　new　Book　from　Professor　Teufelsdrockh　of　Weissnichtwo；　treating　expressly　of　this　subject；　and　in　a　style　which；　whether　understood　or　not；　could　not　even　by　the　blindest　be　overlooked。　　In　the　present　Editor's　way　of　thought；　this　remarkable　Treatise；　with　its　Doctrines；　whether　as　judicially　acceded　to；　or　judicially　denied；　has　not　remained　without　effect。

〃_Die　Kleider；　ihr　Werden　und　Wirken_　（Clothes；　their　Origin　and　Influence）：　　_von　Diog。　Teufelsdrockh；　J。　U。　D。　etc。　　Stillschweigen　und　Cognie。　　Weissnichtwo_；　1831。

〃Here；〃　says　the　_Weissnichtwo'sche　Anzeiger_；　〃comes　a　Volume　of　that　extensive；　close…printed；　close…meditated　sort；　which；　be　it　spoken　with　pride；　is　seen　only　in　Germany；　perhaps　only　in　Weissnichtwo。　　Issuing　from　the　hitherto　irreproachable　Firm　of　Stillschweigen　and　Company；　with　every　external　furtherance；　it　is　of　such　internal　quality　as　to　set　Neglect　at　defiance。。。。　　A　work；〃　concludes　the　well…nigh　enthusiastic　Reviewer；　〃interesting　alike　to　the　antiquary；　the　historian；　and　the　philosophic　thinker；　a　masterpiece　of　boldness；　lynx…eyed　acuteness；　and　rugged　independent　Germanism　and　Philanthropy　（_derber　Kerndeutschheit　und　Menschenliebe_）；　which　will　not；　assuredly；　pass　current　without　opposition　in　high　places；　but　must　and　will　exalt　the　almost　new　name　of　Teufelsdrockh　to　the　first　ranks　of　Philosophy；　in　our　German　Temple　of　Honor。〃

Mindful　of　old　friendship；　the　distinguished　Professor；　in　this　the　first　blaze　of　his　fame；　which　however　does　not　dazzle　him；　sends　hither　a　Presentation…copy　of　his　Book；　with　compliments　and　encomiums　which　modesty　forbids　the　present　Editor　to　rehearse；　yet　without　indicated　wish　or　hope　of　any　kind；　except　what　may　be　implied　in　the　concluding　phrase：　　_Mochte　es_　（this　remarkable　Treatise）　_auch　im　Brittischen　Boden　gedeihen_！


CHAP